Conveyance of cigarettes



Dec. 19, 1939. c. BEST CONVEYANGE 0F CIGARETTES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3l, 1938 D. 19.. 1939. l Q BEST 2,183,664

coNvEYANcE oF CIGARETTES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 31, 1938 Dec. 19, 1939.

c. BEST 2,183,664

CONVEYANCE OF CIGARETTES Filed Maly 31, 1938 44 Sheets-Sheet 4 The carriers rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 2, so that the cigarettes are laterally removed from the tape 5 and are conveyed upwardly through a substantially circular path as shown in Figure 2 and are delivered, if they are not passed to a weighing device referred to below, on to the catcher band at the point Ill. Thin exible bands or strips 5l), 5I and 52 made of spring steel, the surfaces of which are smooth, are provided to retain the cigarettes in their recesses as they are moved by the carriers 6 and I respectively through the circular paths. Spring steel strips or bands whose thickness is .002 have in practice been found to give satisfactory results.

As shown in the drawings, the carrier 6 is not furnished with a selecting device to pass cigarettes to a device for further treatment, but all of the cigarettes moved by the blades on the carrier Ei are delivered directly on to the catcher band Si; the flexible band 5t is therefore arranged to stretch from the position I5 around the edges or extremities of the blades I2 to the position I6 (see Figure 3).

With regard to the carrier 'I, the band 5I stretches from the position I5 around the blades I2 and is then taken to an anchorage I'I. The band 5?. stretches from the position I8 to the position I5 and forms in effect a continuation of the band 5I. Each band is rigidly anchored at one end, for example, at the positions I5 and I8 respectively, which positions are adjacent to those parts of the bands which are first engaged by a cigarette. The opposite ends of the bands are connected to their anchorages by springs so that the bands, quite apart from their inherent flexibility, are under spring tension which permits adjustment of the extent to which the bands can iex. In the case of the anchorage at I6 the band 52 is adjusted by the sliding member I9 and in the case of the anchorage at II the band 5I is adjusted by a screw (not shown).

The bands 5l), 5I and 52 which are made of thin spring steel are strong and yet flexible and under the tension of the springs shown the bands are caused to take up the polygonal shape shown in Figure 2 when the carriers are at rest, although of course as the carriers rotate the points of the polygon will move round with the blades I2. The bands will, however, when engaged by a cigarette which is engaged for movement by one of the blades, conform substantially to the shape of that part of the cigarette which is engaged by the band, that is to say, the band is so flexible due to its thinness that it engages simultaneously with several successive lines on the surface of the cigarette and does not merely make a line Contact therewith. This can clearly be seen from Figure 2. Since the iiexible bands normally engage the edges or extremities of the blades I2, and due to the arrangement whereby the depth oi a recess is less than the diameter of a cigarette, when a cigarette is present in a recess, the flexible band is moved away from the edge or extremity of the blade and as seen in Figure 2, conforms partly to the configuration of the cigarette engaged thereby, thus causing the cigarette to be pressed into the recess and to be held against the surface of the blade and the adjoining surface of the projection i3. Due to the smooth nature of the flexible bands the cigarette is caused to slide over the surface thereof whilst being moved by a blade and the cigarette is, therefore, prevented from partaking of any substantial move- .ment relatively to the blade and to the projection against which elementsit is held by the flexible band.

The selector which determines which of the cigarettes being moved by the blades I2 shall be subjected to further treatment comprises a 5 slotted fork member 2G at each side of the carrier l, the members being fixed to an arm 2l pivoted at 22 in the web of the carrier 'I. The forks 2Q thus form two narrow cheeks at each side of the carrier and are movable in timed 10 relationship therewith and consequently in timed relationship with the blades I2. As described below, relative movement between the forks and the carrier is eifected in order to move the selected cigarette out of the path through which 15 it is being moved by a blade I2 and to deliver it to a weighing device (not shown). The end of the arm 2l to which the forks 20 are fixed projects through a hole 23 in the web of the carrier 1 so that the forks 2D may be attached to it. The arm 2! is operated by a cam 2d which is secured to a gear wheel 25 mounted on a spindle Z xed to the web of the carrier and the gear 25 engages with a fixed pinion 25 which is half the diameter of the gear 25 so that dur- 25` ing rotation of the carrier the cam 211 is turned through hall:` a revolution. The pinion 26 is formed with a sleeve which is fixed to the bearing It, Figure 1. The spindle 22 carries on the other side of the web of the carrier an arm 28 furnished with a roller 29 which engages the cam 2li, and the arm 2| has an extension 3U to which one end of a spring 3l is anchored. The attachment of the arm 2| to the pivot spindle at 22 is in the form of a clamp as shown in order that the position of the fork relatively to the cam roller arm 28 may be adjusted, if desired.

The mechanism described thus causes the forks 2c to be moved outwards as shown in Figure 4 away-from the axis of rotation of the carrier once inevery two revolutions and as there are ten blades arranged on a carrier this means that one cigarette in twenty conveyed by the carrier 'I is selected for weighing. As the car- 5 rier E delivers all its cigarettes to the catcher band S it'will be seen that from the production of the machine one cigarette in every forty is selected for the weighing operation. The fork 2c in the position shown in Figure 2 is about to move outwards and the fork 26 moves the cigarette through the open space between the bands 5i and 52, which space forms in effect an interruption of the band 5I and out of the path of the blades I2. The fork then carries the ciga 55 rette over a curved plate 32 fixed at 53 to the machine frame. The selectors comprising the forks 25 are provided with two projections |20, 22B spaced apart one from the other in the direction of movement of the selector and, as a 60 cigarette is moved out of the path of the blades l2 by the surface lZI of the fork which connects the two projections, the projections I2!) engage the cigarette. The band 5I is arranged so that the distance between the surface IZI and the 55 band is less than the diameter of a cigarette and the band 5I therefore retains the cigarette against the projections I2il. This control of the cigarette, however, ceases before the cigarette is engaged by a pivoted guide 35 described below, but 70 forward movement of the cigarette relatively to the selector 20 is restricted by the projections 220.

The forks continue to move the cigarette over the surface of the plate 32 until it reaches the free end of the guide 35 when the forks are 75 retracted andthe cigarette permitted to roll froml theplate 32 vinto a scale pan' 33 connected with the'weighing devicemot shown). As the cigarette'ispassed beneath the guide 35 it is engaged thereby and. itsI movement is retarded until it is again lengaged by the projections |21) after which,v until the cigarette reaches the free end of the guide 35, it is retained thereby against the projections Iil; The scale pan is of the kind described in'United States Letters Patent No. 2,091,- 516, and has one side wall consisting of a weak spring element 34 which is just strong enough to grip one cigarette in the position shown. The next oncoming cigarette will open the element 34 and permit the cigarette shown to be discharged on to the catcher band 8.

i During the interval between the arrival of successive cigarettes in the pan 33, weighing and recording of the cigarette in the pan takes place.-

The weighing device with which the pan 33 is connected may be of the same general construction as that shown in United States Letters Patent No. 2,091,516, in that the device may be arranged to weigh the cigarettes and record on several diierent counters the number of cigarettes'of different specified Weights there are among those selected for Weighing.

To arrest the axial iiight of the cigarettes before they are engaged by the thin bands, arresting means are lprovided to co-operate with the blades l2. The arresting means, as shown in Figure 2, comprises a plate 45 pivoted at 46 around which pivot it is urged in a counter-clockwise direction by a spring lll, the position of rest being regulated by an adjusting. screw 48. The parts of the apparatus are so disposed and timed that a blade l2 moves a cigarette laterally against the plate 45, and the members I2 and 45, together with the abutment I3, form a light friction gripper. The friction is suicient to arrest the axial movement of the cigarette, and further movement of the blade I2 causes the cigarette to depress the plate 45 by rotating it around the pivot 45 as the cigarette passes over it. The arrangement of the bands 50 and 5i is such that as or just after the friction grip between a blade 'l2 and a plate 45 releases a cigarette, the cigarette is engaged by a iiexible band and is thereby held in position against the abutment l3 in the manner described above.

The cigarettes which are carried round by the carrier 6, as well as those on the carrier 7, which are not selected for weighing, are discharged into va chute 54 which is constructedv in the same manner as the discharge chute `of the pan 33. This allows each cigarette to fall gently on to the band 8. If desired, a piece of fabric may be substituted for the spring member of the chute 54.

A small latch or the like may be fitted to hold the forks 28 in the inoperative position when it is not desired to select any of the cigarettes for further treatment.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In apparatus for conveying cigarettes through a curved path, a conveyor comprising two adjoining surfaces disposed in non-parallel planes, a thin smooth flexible band which partly encircles the path of the conveyor and relatively to which a cigarette engaged by the conveyor is movable, a rigidA anchorage for that end of the band which is adjacent the part thereof which is first engaged by a cigarette, and an adjustable anchorage connected with the opposite end of theband to tension the band in the direction of movement of the conveyor to an extent such that movement of a cigarette into engagement with the band by the conveyor causes the band to yield and to retain the cigarette against said surfaces of the conveyor so that movement of the cigarette relatively to the conveyor is substantially avoided.

2. In apparatus for conveying cigarettes through a curved path, a conveyor comprising two adjoining surfaces disposed in non-parallel planes, a thin smooth exible band Which partly encircles the path of the conveyor and relatively to which a cigarette engaged by the conveyor is movable, a rigid anchorage for that end of the band which is adjacent the part thereof which is rst engaged by a cigarette, an adjustable resilient anchorage for the opposite end of the band to tension the band in the direction of movement of ythe conveyor to an extent such that movement of a cigarette into engagement with the band by the conveyor causes the band to yield and to retain the cigarette against said surfaces of the conveyor so that movement of the cigarette relatively to the conveyor is substantially avoided.

3. In Aapparatus for conveying cigarettes through a curved path, means to move a succession of cigarettes in substantial axial alignment, a conveyor revolvable about an axis parallel to the axes of the axially aligned cigarettes, a blade connected with the conveyor to move a cigarette laterally from said succession of cigarettes, an abutment on said blade having a cigarette engaging surface arranged at a distance from the outer edge of the blade which is less than the diameter of a cigarette, a thin smooth flexible band which partly encircles the path of the conveyor and relatively to which a cigarette engaged by the conveyor is movable, a rigid anchorage for that end of the band which is adjacent the part thereof which is first engaged by a cigarette, an adjustable resilient anchorage for the opposite end of the band to tension the band in the direction of movement of the conveyor to an extent such that movement of a cigarette into engagement with the band by the conveyor causes the band to yield and to retain the cigarette against said surfaces of the conveyor so that movement of the cigarette relatively to the conveyor is substantially avoided.

4. In apparatus for conveying cigarettes through a curved path,l a conveyor comprising two adjacent surfaces disposed in non-parallel planes, a pair of thin flexible bands each of which partly encircles the path of the conveyor and relatively to which a cigarette engaged by the conveyor is movable, an anchorage connected with opposed ends of each of the bands to tension the bands in the direction of movement of the conveyor to an extent such that movementy of a cigarette into engagement with the bands by the conveyor causes the bands to yield and to retain lthe cigarette against said surfaces of the conveyor so that movement of the cigarette relatively to the conveyor is substantially avoided, the anchorage for one end of the band rst engaged by a cigarette being arranged above the surface of the other band so that the latter is overlapped by the band first engaged by a cigarette, a guide disposed between the overlapping parts of the bands and a selector movable in timed relationship with the conveyor to move a cigarette out of the path of the conveyor and over the surface of said guide.

5. In `apparatus for conveying cigarettes through a curved path, a conveyor comprising two adjacent surfaces disposed in non-parallel planes, a pair of thin flexible bands each of which partly encircles the path of the conveyor and relatively to Which a cigarette engaged by the conveyor s movable, an anchorage connected with opposed ends of each of the bands to tension the bands in the direction of movement of the conveyor to an extent such that movement of a cigarette into engagement with the bands by the conveyor causes the bands to yield and to retain the cigaretteagainst said surfaces of the conveyor so that movement of the cigarette relatively to the conveyor is substantially avoided, the anchorage for one end of the band rst engaged by a cigarette being arranged above the surface of the other band so that the latter is overlapped by the band rst engaged by a cigarette, a guide disposed between the overlapping parts of the bands, a selector movable in timed relationship with the conveyor to move a cigarette out of the path of the conveyor and over the surface of said guide, projections on the selector to form a recess to receive the selected cigarette and a pivoted element disposed above said guide to retain the cigarette in said recess.

CYRIL BEST. 

